Lockdown 17/28 – Hobbit Walk
Day 17 of my diary of a LOTR Fan Museum owner during our 4 week national lockdown - in NZ we’re uniting as a country to beat Covid-19 to break the chain and save lives, but …
Sadly, we lost another NZr to the virus yesterday. Our hearts go out to the family. Fortunately, overall, the nation’s new job of STAY HOME, be kind does seem to be limiting the spread of the virus.
As part of the new job we’re required to stay “local” when going out for a walk or bike ride. I am so blessed, as a Lord of the Rings fan museum operator, that my local includes Wellington’s Hobbit walk. The One Room Fan Museum is in Newtown, Wellington, on the lower slopes of Mount Victoria (Mt Vic) and just 15 minutes walk away from some iconic filming locations. On a normal day, these locations are visited by regular tour parties mostly of overseas tourists. Some tours are particularly fun, as they do re-enactments. We did one of these tours a couple of years ago and had a blast!
Yesterday I dragged my bubble sister out for a Hobbit walk due to all those hot cross buns. She’s not a fan, but she sighed with resignation as I donned a backpack with a Frodo costume inside.
Walking … and such a huge difference! Signposts are all there, but the fan sites are otherwise deserted except for walkers and joggers who show no signs of fandom.
In a shout out to LOTR fans, I don my Frodo costume, posing in the spot where the 4 hobbits hid from the black rider and where Frodo is tempted to put on the Ring.
My sister takes some photos. We can’t use the usual vantage point because it’s a bit steep, and we are super-careful in these times to take no injury risks.
For the same safety reasons, we can’t visit all the filming sites, but I am full of memories of many other visits, some in costume, some not. It’s a beautiful sunny day, and it’s such a blessing to be so close to this walk as part of my “local”.
I wish all of you enduring this crisis the chance to seize some fun, whatever your particular passion is. Best wishes, Kathy xx
